In this book Frances Spalding reassesses the astonishing achievements of British artists from the Edwardians Ben Nicholson and Walter Sickert to the Bloomsbury painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant; from the work of Paul Nash and David Jones between the wars to that of Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, David Hockney and the host of younger artists who have emerged since the 1960s. While modernist ideas from Europe and, more recently, American trends have had their influence, the author argues that British artists have drawn much of their inspiration from native traditions and are distinguished by their passionate adherence to individualism.